Memorial Day is a time to remember those who serve and sacrifice for our country. Buying and supporting union and American made products is just another way to show respect for those who have done so much for our country. And the money spent will go a long way to help keep our economy afloat. So, when you fire up your grill over Memorial Day think about these tasty, union made food items for your holiday meal. Why not make your Memorial Day a union and American made holiday?Meats and Drinks ... [More]

A number of additional proposals in the Residential Code concerned the IAFF including our proposal attempting to have a non-combustible covering between foam insulation and the exterior covering. The proposal was intended to require a ten foot set back from the property line if there was no barrier. This was an attempt to address the flame propagation due to radiant heat exposure. The proposal failed but we are working with the vinyl siding industry and others to address exterior flame spread. O... [More]

I’ve had a lot of inquiries from my latest blog on SAFER grants, particularly questioning why a department would go through the effort to apply for a SAFER grant and then reject it.  Believe it or not it happens.  For those of you that it happens to, you are not alone.  Every local that has experienced this is just as frustrated as the next.  Let’s understand the process post-panel review.  After your SAFER application completes the peer review process... [More]

The next application period for SAFER should open within the next few weeks.  There is a lot of coordination that needs to occur during the application period, but I also want to emphasize the need to coordinate before and at the time of award.  Unfortunately, between the time of application and award many things can occur, sometimes creating doubt as to whether or not your department will accept the award if given the opportunity.  Keep that in the forefront of your minds ... [More]

The IAFF has continued its involvement in the current ICC code hearings in Dallas. The last three days included testimony and debate on a number of issues in the International Fire Code and the International Residential Code. It is important for fire fighters to be involved in the process because these two codes directly impact the safety of our members as they operate on the fire ground. The Fire Code dictates how structures will approach fire protection systems and how the structures will be... [More]

The International Fire Code Hearing is in full swing, the committee has to consider over 400 code change proposals to the Fire Code. In these last two days fire service representatives, and IAFF members, have testified on behalf of the impact to fire fighter safety on many of these issues. During these hearings the committee has been presented changes regarding: •    Total rewrite and enhancement of solar voltaic issues centered on fire fighter operations;•  ... [More]

The 113th Congress sure has its priorities straight. This week, Congress will vote on legislation that would allow private sector employers to stop giving workers any extra pay for overtime work. HR 1406 is a “friendly attack” on workers -- making mandatory overtime less expensive for employers to maintain the 40-hour work week (and help keep workers on the job longer). Ten years ago, workers stood together to defeat the bill in the House of Representatives. Now workers are getti... [More]

The IAFF has a representative attending the International Code Council's Committee Action Hearings. On Saturday and Sunday the Fire Service Membership Council met for a two day workshop. Issues discussed including training, education, service and the ICC Evaluation Services. The Evaluation Services approves products for the market place based on performance reports. This is very important to our membership as they can approve products meeting the protection requirements for structural protection... [More]

The International Code Council will start hearings this week. Fire fighters who want to know about the building codes process can watch hearings live at this web link: http://www.iccsafe.org/webcast/Pages/default.aspx A number of code change proposals will be debated concerning our member’s work environment and could impact the safety of IAFF members. The IAFF will have representatives present for the residential and fire code hearings and we will update our members with daily blogs plo... [More]

No longer do fire fighters and paramedics just have to be concerned with the inherent dangers of fighting fires, mitigating hazardous materials incidents, and exposures encountered during EMS responses. Now more than ever, being assaulted while serving others is a real threat. Fire fighters and Paramedics are being assaulted by the very people who called for their assistance. These people may include the victims they treat, associated family members, and in some cases bystanders. Recent inci... [More]